Safety Scare in New Diet Drug Contrave

Anyone who believes that a pill is the sole answer to their excessive body weight problems is someone I will never be able to understand. While these pills are sometimes proven to work, the effects are often minimal without the aid of proper diet and exercising on a regular basis.

A new diet drug known as Contrave, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September of 2014. However, it may have been approved under false pretenses. To get into the meaty details, this means that the developers of the drug released insecure data during the safety study of the drug, and the integrity of the study was almost compromised because of it. Part of the study was having two groups of people use the drug and then comparing the results after a certain trial period. One of these groups were given this drug and told that it was a diet pill, which would invoke the placebo effect on this group, while the other group was not told anything of the sort. The company claimed sufficient evidence that the effects of the pill were superior to that of the placebo effect. However, once further looked into, the study confirmed that there were some cases of stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular disease in those who ended up taking Contrave, although not focused in on a specific percentage. Although this sounds scary, keep in mind that those who would be using drugs like Contrave would be struggling with obesity, and those who are obese are already at high risk for such illnesses. Once fully analysed, the results of the study complied with the Food and Drug Administration’s rules of the amount of cardiovascular disease not being allowed to double, but it still is quite alarming that unstable data can get through the cracks like this.

I’m glad that the results of this drug resulted in not being incredibly hazardous, and that it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but I am still not a fan of diet pills, fat burners, or anything of the sort. The reason why is because the results that these drugs and supplements supposedly give to people are absolutely achievable through exercise and a cleaned up diet. Depending on the severity of the obesity, I understand that some people cannot risk trying to exercise due to the extreme pressure placed on their joints for a sustained period of time, but that does not mean they cannot begin their weight loss journey by simply eating better. I also understand that losing weight by only dieting alone can be a tough process, especially when you are not used to it and your body is telling you that it needs food, but you only have so many options. You either continue to diet the way you do and lose no weight, or you fight the mental battle of being hungry on a daily basis, win that battle and be on your way to a healthier life. For those who want to look me in the eye and say it is simply too hard and that drugs like Contrave are the sole answer, I have a statement and a couple questions for you that may change your mind. While drugs like Contrave are shown to not double deaths by cardiovascular disease, heart attack and stroke, and even aid people in the goal of losing weight, this does not mean that Contrave does not raise the chance of it happening at all. With that said, would you rather take a drug that may help you on your journey to lose weight, but also have a chance of increasing your already high chance of cardiovascular disease and other deathly illnesses? Or would you rather put in some hard work that may test your mental potential, but also keep your risk of these illnesses lower and be proud of yourself in terms of you actually putting in the work and doing it, as opposed to just swallowing a pill and hoping it does the work for you? think about it and get back to me.

About Kerry Dennison

Kerry is a person who enjoys writing & storytelling. When he's not writing, you can either find him playing Mario Kart wii with his friends or spending time in the gym, as gaming and powerlifting are other hobbies of his.
Contact Kerry: kerry.dennison@youthindependent.com